PHOENIX (Ticker) -- With no one able to make a shot, Jason Kidd
found alternative methods to lead his team to victory.

Kidd had three clutch free throws and an offensive rebound in a
frenetic final minute as the Phoenix Suns held off the
Philadelphia 76ers, 84-80, to win their home opener.

The Suns won despite going the first 5:45 and the last 4:09 of
the final period without a basket. The 76ers were even worse,
going scoreless for practically the final six minutes.

"I didn't recognize the team in the fourth quarter," Suns coach
Danny Ainge said. "The fourth quarter looked a lot like our
Denver game (a loss Tuesday). It is very discouraging that we
couldn't maintain our intensity level and they kicked our tails
on the boards."

Kidd had 22 points and eight rebounds and also helped shut down
Sixers guard Allen Iverson. The NBA scoring champion went more
than 32 minutes without a basket and scored 11 points on just
4-of-20 shooting. Backcourt mate Eric Snow was 2-of-12.

"Allen was 4-for-20, Eric is 2-for-12 and Billy Owen is
1-for-8," 76ers coach Larry Brown said. "It's a miracle (we
were that close). The guys played their hearts out. We didn't
get it done."

Tyrone Hill scored 14 points to lead Philadelphia (0-2), which
is missing injured big men Theo Ratliff and Matt Geiger and is
one of only two teams yet to break 80 points. Iverson failed to
lead the Sixers in scoring for the first time since April 19.

"I was hoping they would have left him at the hotel but he
really is unstoppable," Kidd said. "He just missed shots
tonight. Those are shots that he normally hits."

"We just couldn't hit shots at the end," Iverson said. "I
couldn't hit shots at the end. I don't blame myself because
when I have a good game and lose, I don't blame my teammates. We
just couldn't get it done at the end."

Trailing by as many as nine points late in the third quarter,
the Sixers held the Suns without a basket for 7:48. Iverson
opened the fourth quarter with a tip-in -- his first hoop since
the 8:07 mark of the first quarter -- and added a layup. He fed
George Lynch for a layup that gave Philadelphia 77-72 lead with
6:04 to go.

But the Sixers went cold and the Suns rallied behind Kidd. He
made a jumper and two free throws before a jumper by rookie
Shawn Marion -- Phoenix's last basket -- gave the Suns the lead
for good with 4:09 to play.

The Suns (1-1) held the ball for more than a minute, scoring
just one point. Tom Gugliotta missed two free throws but Phoenix
ran down three offensive rebounds until Rodney Rogers was
fouled. He made 1-of-2 for a two-point lead with 2:30 to play.

"We played to protect the lead again and settled for outside
shots and didn't rebound the ball," Ainge said. "We took six
minutes off, we really flirted with fire. Fortunately with four
minutes to go, we got every rebound and our intensity picked
up."

"We didn't come up with rebounds late in the game because we
don't have a lot of size," Brown said.

Kidd sank two foul shots for an 81-77 edge with 51 seconds to
go. Iverson threw away a pass and Penny Hardaway misfired on a
3-pointer but Kidd corraled the rebound and was fouled. He
added another foul shot for an 82-77 bulge with 18 seconds left.

Lynch, who had 10 points, 15 rebounds and five steals, scored
inside with 7.1 seconds left. But Gugliotta and Hardaway each
made free throws to seal the win.

Hardaway, playing his first game with the Suns after serving a
one-game suspension for a preseason fight, scored 18 points. He
was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with Orlando, receiving
$86 million for seven years.

"It was awesome out there being with Jason," Hardaway said. "It
felt real comfortable."

"In the fourth quarter we got down but we have a lot of veterans
here and we knew we had plenty of time," Hardaway said. "We
knew that if we settled down and just made some baskets we'd be
OK. We realize how blessed we are to win after the way we shot."

Aaron McKie scored 10 points for Philadelphia, which shot just
36 percent (29-of-80). The Sixers (0-2) have lost 12 of their
last 13 visits to Phoenix.

"They won the game but we were playing so hard," Hill said. "We
really wanted this game, especially after we got the lead. We
know what it takes and eventually those shots are definitely
going to fall."

Marion had a pair of soaring dunks in the first quarter, which
was capped by Rex Chapman's 3-pointer that gave the Suns a 26-23
lead. Chapman also missed the opener due to suspension.

Although Iverson did not score in the final 20 minutes of the
half, the Sixers stayed in it with defense. They forced 17
turnovers and got a big boost from McKie to trail just 42-41 at
halftime.